VA Art Show 2018 – United Resistance

America is greater than the sum of its parts.    At times, this can be difficult to see, as everywhere we turn we are consistently reminded of our imperfections.  Sometimes it is easy to get lost in those striving to restrain the progress of our already-great country.   Then,  as is often the case,  we grow weary of relitigating every step that brought us here and we are forced to put it down and step away.   Invisible, then, becomes all but the negatives we were focused on, and with it the perspective we need to soldier on.

America, if anywhere in human history, is diversity personified.  Our roots trace back to every corner of the globe:  African, Asian, European, Latin, Indigenous,  and a wonderful plethora of others that may not neatly fit into the aforementioned groups.   We incorporate these parts and make ourselves even greater still.   In turn,  our vast and assimilated culture gives back to the world that helps make us.   Our media is consumed by a hungry global audience,  our politics and policies discussed by citizens of other countries,  and our sports inspires young athletes well beyond our shores.   We continue to grow and change with the world, as we are very much a part of it and increasingly more so in our interconnected world.

Our progress is not, and has not been, a smooth ride.  America has a clearly defined center of power:  the White, Christian, Heterosexual, Native-Born, Wealthy, Male.  For much of our history,  this center of power has maintained dominance over much of the country as a whole:  socially, politically, economically, et al.   That center of power was virtually the only seat at the table.  However,  we have the biggest table in the world and we have been, and are still trying to bring more seats in.

From the Marches in Salma, Alabama in 1965 to the Women’s Marches of 2017 we continue to bring more seats to the table.    From Occupy Wall Street, to the Standing Rock Protests, we continue to bring more seats to the table.    Pride Parades,  Immigration Airport Protests, and celebrations of all of our unique cultures help us to continue to bring more seats to the table.    While we encounter resistance with each step,  especially from those in the center of power,  we continue to show ourselves and the world that America is for us all.

When we are dealing with people, often in or near the center of power,  who have had their fears regarding their seat at the table exploited, it is important to remember that while we are trying to bring in seats for everyone theirs isn’t being diminished.  Equal seats for an equal America, one that works for us all.  A robust and rich country, filled with the hopes and dreams from seeds far and wide.    An America that leads and absorbs.   An America that reminds us all, we are greater than the sum of our parts.

In the buildup to getting to go see the Marvel Black Panther movie, I was exposed to individuals proclaiming ‘No Real Americans’ are going to watch that movie.  It was a sad reminder for me that dog-whistle phrase is still alive and well in 2018.  It is another thing to add to the pile of weight we have lowering our bar, and these last months have shown that pile is fairly large.  I walked into the theatre and selected my seat, thinking about more than just comic books.

In today’s theatres, as many of us know, the previews last for quite some time.  I sat there, pondering the NFL protests, and the Black Lives Matter movement. I sat and thought about how people took both and made it about themselves instead.  I thought about President Obama, and how people performed the mental gymnastics necessary to convince themselves he wasn’t the president, how he wasn’t even American.  I thought about how people who aren’t ‘Real Americans’ are often portrayed, or represented.

The movie was starting and I was thinking about how we, in America, are made up of so many cultures and we all want to see ourselves represented well in the media.  I doubt many people exclusively want only negative stereotypes shown, to be typecast, or to have few opportunities in general in the industry.  We, as people, are diverse creatures with much to show and give.  We are more than: a skin color, a place of birth, an accent, an orientation, etc.  We’re living, breathing, feeling, thinking, beings.

I was sitting, watching a thoroughly enjoyable movie, and with the unfortunate individuals’ words in the back of my head I found myself appreciating it for something a little bit more. This was not one strong, smart, fast, Black face on screen – it was an entire cast of them! This was women, and men, being caring and talented,  savvy and capable.  The movie does address issues such as oppression and abandonment, issues that clearly impact us today in the real world.  The movie also shows a host of positive things:  family, duty, community, education,  etc.,  things that cultures wish to see of themselves in the media.

I sat there,  refreshed at the relatability of the characters in the movie and wondered about how many girls will watch it and be inspired, from either: the strong and loyal warrior general,  the smooth multi-lingual spy, or the smart technological genius.   Perhaps all three?  I wondered how many fathers will enjoy the inspiration of their daughters.  However, I wondered about why the dwindling percentage of people who feel they need to separate themselves and other ‘Real Americans’ from everyone else needs to do so to begin with and what they would have to say about the movie.  This movie was a good movie.

Then it hit me,  I was celebrating this movie, in a way.    For so long it feels like we have fewer reasons to celebrate, we take it where we can.  Our bar isn’t as high as it used to be, after all.    I was celebrating for a community that wasn’t my own.   This wasn’t a picture of sex and drugs.    This wasn’t a picture of gangs and guns.     This wasn’t about street crime,  or any of the other motifs we see time and again.   This was a positive movie,  where a people learn from their mistakes and forge a better path.

I understand it was a comic book movie,  but I was thrilled it happened.   Members of that community can watch it, see themselves on the big screen and put themselves into it.    Young people all across the country, from the rural south to the inner cities,  will watch it and see themselves.  The next generation of: soldiers, spies, scientists, politicians, etc.,  are all being inspired right now despite being told they’re not a ‘Real American’ and they can’t do it.   Well,  if succeeding in spite of being told you can’t isn’t American,  I don’t know what is.

My Generation does not exist in ideal times;  it never has.   For most of our lives, we’ve been in some sort of conflict:   The Post-9/11 conflicts are still raging strong and that was half a life ago or more,  but the anti-intellectualism and economic conflicts here at home have been a constant our entire lives.   As we maneuver the daily grind of our stressful world, some refer to us loosely as ‘Millennials,’ often as a pejorative.  However, we are Generation Y.  More specifically, we are Generation: Why?

Why do we pay exorbitant costs for health care yet have lower life expectancies than those who pay less?  Why do we want generations of people entering the workforce already burdened with tens of thousands of dollars of debt from education?  Why are we ok with the vast majority of money created in our country going to a select few people?   Why are we ok with our political system being sold to the highest bidder?  Why are we ok with systematically creating second class citizens through racism, sexism, religion, etc.?

We, often, ask ‘Why?’  This, as we discover, begins to make people uncomfortable.   We’re threatening the status quo.   The people who are quite comfortable with the way things are don’t want a connected people asking questions.   The comfortable don’t want us blinking confusedly at them,  typing something into a device and saying to them we couldn’t find what they were talking about.     The comfortable don’t want to be: fact-checked, questioned, challenged, or be bothered with change they did not initiate.    In today’s world it is easier for the comfortable to dismiss the things that do not neatly conform to their wishes as fake, and it poses real problems.  The fact-check crowd vs. the fake-news crowd is colliding and it is apparent there is an alternate reality in which the fake-news crowd have created for themselves and have retreated to in droves.

“Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that ‘my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.’” Isaac Asimov pointed this out some time ago and it has long held true.  However,  it is not as true now and is fading.     While the willfully ignorant are a vocal minority, they are a minority, and their actions are being confronted with increasing regularity.   Everything, from: the actions of discriminatory politicians to a family member on Facebook,  from an ill-conceived Youtube video to bots, trolls, and shills everywhere one turns, the confrontation is real.   We will continue to ask “Why?”

Our actions, because of equal and opposite reactions, has of course caused the anti-intellectuals to dig in.    However, we’re not going to stop asking “Why?”   We aren’t going to stop asking “Why can’t we create a nation and economy that works for us all?”   We aren’t going to stop asking “Why can’t we tackle the new changing global realities?”   We are going to continue asking “Where did you get that information?” We’re encouraged by the progress we can see from each other and people we touch.    While we live in dark times, and in a way this is a culmination of many things that have been building throughout our entire lives,  we can picture a dawn on the horizon.  This picture is easier to see, for we are actively out in our respective communities creating it ourselves the best we can.  We know it won’t be completed tomorrow, and we will have many moments of anger along the way,  but the future has bright potential.

Our picture contains people from all walks of life.    Many of us have seen the privileged, the comfortable, believe equality to be oppression.   While we reject this notion, we have seen that resistance in action:  for if they kill you quickly then it is an attack, but if they kill you slowly then it is just politics.   We, being used to constant conflict,  are fighting back.   We, armed with the question “Why?”  are demanding answers of people unused to accountability.   We,  standing abreast with those of all demographics willing to stand with those of all demographics, here in objective reality,  create a better picture for us all.    When we aren’t our worst enemy, what can’t we do?

As I sit here, during Black History Month, shortly after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s  birthday,  it’s hard not to reflect upon what’s going on around me.    It been a common thought that the veteran community is one cohesive entity:  shared goals,  shared aspirations,  shared struggles, et al.   However,  the veteran community is a microcosm of society, forged in the crucible of battle.  After all,  we are made from society at large and transformed through experience.   Thus,  while we tend to have a mutual respect and basic understanding of one another’s service,  we do move in our own directions.

One such example of a lack of unity within the veteran community was reactions, or responses, to NFL athletes protesting.   For the purpose of tact, I’ll refer to two places:  The Organization, or Org for short, and The Circle.    In a gathering in October 2017,  The Org entertained the idea of banning the NFL from their premises.   I was baffled,  momentarily stunned even.   The idea was so foreign to me it was asinine.   The Org is comprised entirely of veterans,  defenders of free speech!  Yet,  they were seriously entertaining the idea of banning speech with which they didn’t agree.

I entered this conversation.  I was on the backfoot from the start, being unaware and confused this was even a possibility.  These protests have a pretty unambiguous message:  Racial Injustice.     Unfortunately,  racial injustice is not a new phenomenon in the USA.   Whether we look at: the criminal justice system,  how people get hired or compensated,  who gets approved for loans,  and routine daily interactions,  the message of ‘I’ll stand for you when you stand for me’ has merit;  citizens in the black community have been left behind.  It’s objective reality.

In addition to asking why the Org is taking issue with a league that is approximately 70% African-American raising awareness about issues that impact their community,   I inquired as to why we are taking issue with a silent and peaceful protest.  We, if anyone at all,  should be on the forefront defending this.  This is an example of what it’s all about:  not shooting anyone from hotel windows, or running people over with cars,  no racist slogans, no riot gear,  no intimidation tactics at all.   A peaceful protest.

I quickly learned none of that mattered.   People at the Org had co-opted the message to make it to be about them.   They had been disrespected, and as such the NFL had to go.   The Org was disrespected, they disagreed with what was going on, so they were going to get rid of it.  A vote was held, and by a narrow majority a ban was put in place.  I walked away amazed,  I knew I needed to bring it up at The Circle at tomorrow’s gathering.

I brought it up at the first opportunity I had was essentially laughed out of the room.  The veterans of the Circle didn’t even take me seriously,  I had to go out of my way to explain the whole story.  I had to walk them through the concept that a group of veterans voted to ban the NFL.   They were nearly as amazed as I was.   The Circle is a exponentially more diverse group of veterans:  racially, spiritually,  generationally, etc.    We sat and tried to wrap our heads around it.   In December 2017,  we would hold a tailgate themed party at The Circle, and I would watch the Super Bowl with members of The Circle.

In November 2017, at The Org,  it was brought up that other members didn’t really get a chance to have their say.  No one knew this was coming and it was the talk of the town.    The Ban was kept in place and we would revisit it in December 2017 now that everyone knew to come.   The discussions in December 2017 were just as disheartening, but in a different way:  they centered around themes like ‘we already made a statement, how can we change course now?’ and ‘how has this affected our business?’ despite initially arguing this was about principles not business.  Again,  I received no acknowledgment of what the protests actually meant.    Another vote was held and again by a slim majority the Ban was kept.   Twice now, The Org has banned the NFL.

In January 2018, with the realities of their decision having fully settled in,  certain members of The Org tried to stretch some technicalities and definitions so they could show the Super Bowl, despite having banned the entire NFL thus far.   These were the same people who helped ban the NFL in the first place.  I, as well as others, weren’t having it.   This was clearly a business decision and what appeared to be a hypocritical one at that.    The vote failed,  and shortly thereafter I received an email about closing the place down early on that Sunday.    I, again remembering this was never supposed to be a business decision as per the ban supporters, reminded them of that and voted to keep the place open for the rest of the Org.

Throughout this entire process, I can’t recall ever receiving an actual acknowledgment from a ban supporter that racial injustice is a real issue in the USA.    I was informed at some point, however, The Civil War had nothing to do with slavery.   This individual maintained his position even after I read him The Cornerstone Speech.   The Circle gave me a series of stunned looks and puzzled faces from that one too.    The Circle,  as with most other veterans I interact with,  embrace our diversity and respect our differences.

Racial injustice is a real issue in the USA.  It has been for ages.  The NFL athletes are not the first to point it out, and they’re not likely to be the last.   It saddens me that a group of veterans, even if generally a narrow majority of a particular demographic, would choose to ban speech they disagree with due to a message they themselves co-opted.   It’s several layers of erroneous.   It does, however,  highlight a few things:  we still have a lot of work to do as a country,  and we are not one cohesive entity but we do treat one another with respect in our veteran community.

Author’s Note:  Further discussions regarding ‘respect’ involved actual Flag Code items:  “The Flag should never be used as apparel,”  “The flag should never be carried flat or horizontally,” and “No part of the flag should ever be used as a costume or athletic uniform,”  are all things listed under section 8 “Respect for flag” and were all generally dismissed by the pro-ban crowd,  despite many of them being in violation of the flag code themselves at the time of the discussion and were using the ‘disrespect’ angle as their chief argument.    It does add some context overall, but is better as a footnote.  Other details, such as the the DoD-NFL partnership, while somewhat relevant overall aren’t really important from a 1st person perspective story.

the victims of violence

will no longer be silent

home, in this era of terror

we take care of our seeds

we provide for their needs

but money is worth more than lives

children’s deaths yield mother’s tears

while you profit from the fears

go, your safe space awaits you

you give thoughts and prayers

pics, tweets, likes, and shares

happy that sales will rise

the time for action was then

and again and again and again

is there a heart within you

fifteen is a common thread

in both the living and the dead

but you like models not ages

how tall a pile the bodies be

‘fore an ending light can we see

I doubt you’ve been of help thus far

this is something we can solve

a thing on which you can evolve

and help provide a future for us all

it is true we all will die

the only question is why

help us achieve it in peace